


Letters

by AmandeBw



Series: Rewrites [5]
Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Age Difference, Hannibal Lecter is the Chesapeake Ripper, Letters, M/M, prison correspondance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-28
Updated: 2021-01-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 04:13:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29039928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmandeBw/pseuds/AmandeBw
Summary: Due to a school project, Will begins to write to Dr. Lecter, also known as the Ripper.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Series: Rewrites [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1870144
Comments: 3
Kudos: 105





	Letters

Will Graham had always been a rather unusual child, so when he decided to correspond with Hannibal Lecter, The Chesapeake Ripper, for his school project no one was all that surprised. The goal of the project was for each student to write a letter to a famous person and they would win 25$ per letter written back in the next three months. Even if he was a serial killer, no one could deny the fact that Dr. Lecter met the requirements to be considered famous. For Will, the only reason he even bothered to participate was due to his father’s low income. Plus Dr. Lecter would, at the very least, be interesting to talk to… though that was on the premises that the man answered.

Will could still remember how barely two years ago, his godfather, Jack Crawford, came to his house with a stack of case files and asked him to profile the killer. He remembered how after seeing the pictures of the Ripper’s kills he had thought of them as beautiful, almost artistic. Each victim was carefully displayed, every detail from the pose, location, accessories, and method of death were used to showcase the Ripper’s message. That brief glance into the man’s mind was all it took for him to want to know EVERYTHING about the Ripper. So Will did exactly what his godfather wanted and eagerly dove into the man’s mind.

“I am not doing this out of anger, I do it because I enjoy it. I wait for them to wake up and tell them exactly what they did wrong. Then I proceed to cut them open like I have many times before with my patients. I am clean, meticulous. Everything I do has meaning. As they die, I take my cut of meat and store it away for later. These people are nothing more than pigs; what I am doing is elevating them. They are better this way than alive. This is my design.”

With this, Jack was able to form a proper profile and find the Ripper with ease… catching him, however, proved to be harder. But after a year of playing hide-and-seek, the FBI managed to catch Dr. Hannibal Lecter and the Chesapeake Ripper was sent to Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Will almost mourned the man’s capture, he had enjoyed seeing the Ripper’s kills. There was always a specific purpose, a story to be told, with each body put on display.

Which is why, when the project came up, Will knew who he’d be writing to. Hannibal Lecter had managed to capture his attention like none before. The man fascinated him.

*

_“Hello Dr. Lecter,_

_My name is Will Graham and I’m a student from Belle Chasse High School. I’ve been following your case for the past two years and I was wondering if you would mind telling me more? I have a few questions which the case files never answered… mainly about your cannibalistic tendencies and victim choice. To be honest, I don’t have much hope in you writing back, but since this is a school project I thought I should give it a shot._

_And I don’t think you’d be receiving many letters except from fans or the FBI who, no doubt, want to dissect your mind. My father always said that I was a breath of fresh air… even if I’m not sure if that’s good or bad._

_Thank you for your time,_

_Will Graham”_

*

A week later, Will collected his first 25$ from the school.

*

_“Dear William,_

_Do you mind if I call you so, dear boy? I must admit, I didn't expect a letter such as yours. Would you mind telling me how you came upon the knowledge of my… “cannibalistic tendencies”, as you put it? I’m quite sure that neither my case file mentioned what I did with my “trophies” nor that good old Jack knows what these “trophies” were used for._

_But I must agree with your father dear William, you certainly are a breath of fresh air. Your letter was most interesting and I hope to hear more from you. After all, I don’t have a lot to do while I’m staying in a place as dull as this one. Unfortunately, the company here isn’t any better either._

_Best Regards,_

_Hannibal Lecter”_

*

With that, Will’s and Hannibal’s correspondence began. Surprisingly, despite the two of them being polar opposites and the age difference, they got along quite well. It was Hannibal who had told Will to go to the doctor after receiving a concerning letter from him. The man had managed to figure out - despite the distance between them- that Will had encephalitis. And it was Will who remembered events such as Hannibal’s birthday and sent him prison-friendly presents.

*

After communicating for five years, they finally met face to face when Will was 23. Until then, Will had been unable to enter the Prison to meet Hannibal due to his civilian identity. Luckily, Jack once more required his empathy for the Tooth Fairy case and thought Hannibal’s expertise would be helpful… or at least that was Jack’s excuse for bringing Will to the psychiatrist.

Still, when Will entered the room and saw Hannibal face to face for the first time, he stopped breathing for a second. Even in shackles and behind bars, Hannibal’s dominance was easily asserted, the perfect Alpha male… a fact that never ceased to annoy Jack. “Dr. Lecter.” Jack greeted curtly. “Hello Jack, it’s been a while. And who might this be?” Hannibal asked, smiling charmingly. “This is the man who profiled you, and led us straight to your door,” Jack said contemptuously. Will glared at his godfather, annoyed at the poor manipulation attempt and hoped Hannibal wouldn’t be too mad at him. “My name is Will Graham, I’m currently a student at Quantico. It’s nice to meet you, Dr. Lecter,” he said.

Upon hearing his name, Hannibal’s glare softened and a smile graced his face. “Hello Will - “Agent Graham” Jack interjected - it’s an honor to meet you,” Hannibal replied. Even as they left and Jack ranted about fraternizing with serial killers and arranging for a personal phone to be provided to the man in order to “help with the investigation,” Will’s smile never faded from his face.

*

10:34 pm - The man who profiled me? - HL

10:36 pm - Technically, I didn’t work for the FBI nor was I studying there, so it doesn’t really count. - WG

10:37 pm - Anything counts when it’s about you, my dear Will. - HL 10:40 pm - … I thought you’d be mad. - WG

10:41 pm - At you? Never. - HL

*

Although Hannibal now had a phone, they continued sending each other letters, only texting when needed. There were valid reasons for this such as the fact that Jack had access to Hannibal’s phone records, but it was mostly that letters were their thing and they didn’t want to lose that. A week after they solved the Tooth Fairy case, Jack took Hannibal’s phone away and the Ripper finally escaped from prison. Hours after his escape, Will came home to find Hannibal cooking in his kitchen and they shared a kiss for the first time. If a certain Dr. Frederick Chilton was reported missing the next day alongside Hannibal’s escape, Will didn’t mention it. Finally, a week later, they were both in Florence and Will made his first kill under Hannibal’s watchful but loving gaze.

The End


End file.
